Éowyn could be one of the worst storms in recent times – with the whole island of Ireland now under a red weather warning for the first time ever.
The Met Office upgraded its amber warning to red on Thursday morning, which will come into effect from 7am on Friday morning until 2pm on Friday afternoon.
It is the first time a red weather warning has been issued for Northern Ireland since the system was introduced in 2011.
Gusts are expected to peak just shy of 90mph in Co Armagh between 6am and 9am.
The Met Office has advised people to stay indoors and avoid travelling by road.
The Met Office has warned of “flying debris resulting in danger to life” and “very dangerous driving conditions with fallen trees on roads, power cuts affecting other services, such as mobile phone coverage; damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down”.
There is also a chance roads, bridges and railway lines will be closed, with delays and cancellations to bus, train, ferry services and flights.
A Met Office spokesperson said: “Southwesterly then westerly winds will rapidly increase from west to east during the Friday morning rush hour with peak gusts of 80-90 mph fairly widely and perhaps up to 100 mph along some exposed coasts.
“This brings the risk of significant disruption to transport and power supplies, as well as dangerous conditions outdoors. Winds will gradually ease from the south through Friday afternoon.”
An amber warning will also be in place in Northern Ireland from 6am until 9pm.
Meanwhile, multi-agency preparations are underway to respond to any impacts as a result of Storm Éowyn.
The Department for Infrastructure’s roads and rivers teams have been checking and clearing road gullies and other drainage and infrastructure and have additional staff on standby to respond to incidents.
Monitoring of river levels and sea levels has been ongoing and will continue until the weather warning has elapsed.
Regional Community Resilience Groups have also been advised of weather patterns and to make appropriate preparations.
Traffic disruption is possible so please plan ahead, stay up to date with the latest weather and travel advice. Advice and information on the current weather warnings is available at: Strong winds weather warning – information and advice
It may be necessary to close some roads or put temporary restrictions in place. Road users are reminded to adhere to road signs and any temporary traffic lights. Remember to reduce your speed, stay well behind the vehicle in front, remain focused and always wear your seatbelt and never drive through flood water.
Traffic information can be found at: TrafficWatchNI
You can report an obstruction at: Report an obstruction on a road or street | nidirect or call the 24-hour number on 0300 200 7899.
To report incidents of flooding, please contact the flooding incident line on 0300 2000 100. Calls taken by the incident line staff are passed to the relevant responding Agency.
The power of water is often on show during a storm as waves crash against harbour walls, piers and cliffs. It looks spectacular but surges can easily sweep a person off their feet. All it takes is one wave to drag you out to sea – a dramatic photograph or selfie is not worth risking your life. If you see someone get carried away by a wave, call 999 and ask for Coastguard.
NIE Networks is reminding the public to stay clear of any damaged electricity equipment and report it immediately to the Customer Helpline on 03457 643 643. Members of the public should never approach a broken pole or electricity line.
Should customers experience a power cut they can check for updates at Powercheck NI (powercheck.nienetworks.co.uk) and report the fault online or call the NIE Networks Customer Helpline on 03457 643 643.
Translink advises passengers to check its Journey Planner or Translink social media channels in advance of travel, and to allow extra time for their journeys.
